Wade Megan
On being back at center:
It felt OK. obviously it’s different. I’m getting back into it, re-learning some stuff. It’s tough, especially after a break like that, to just jump in to a new position. It felt alright, there’s definitely some things I need to work on, faceoffs being one of them. It’s going to take a little getting used to but overall I think it was alright.
On his experience as a centerman:
When I came in here I was a centerman, played freshman year for a while and halfway through freshman year I switched to wing and played wing until now. So I have experience, so it’s not like it’s completely new but it’s just tough going from wing and then to center, but it’s something I’m going to have to do so I’m going to have to get used to it.
On how he can get used to playing center:
You just said it, just practice. It’s one of those things you don’t do for a while and there are so many little tricks and stuff like that that you have to re-learn and get used to. At the end I started to win more draws, but it’s just one of things you have to practice everyday, so it’s definitely something I’m learning to work on.
On any tips he’s gotten about playing center:
A little bit. I mean we have Gill [making the same switch], so that leaves Rosen and some of the other guys. Like I said, I’ve played it before, so it’s not completely new. I know what I have to do, it’s just a matter of putting in some hours and re-learning it again.
On how Gill is managing the transition:
He’s played a little bit of center too here and there. I think he’s just a really skilled player and he’s good down low, so it’s a pretty easy transition for him. He’s really good in the corners and stuff like that, so it’s just something like I said going to have to get used to because it looks like we’re going to be playing there the rest of the year, so we’re just going to have to get better at it.
On his goal:
The forward for them was rolling up and I kind of read that he was going to try to back a blind, backhand pass to that defenseman, so I followed him up and was able to pick it off. The ice was not great, a little soft, so I didn’t want to get too fancy, just shelf one and luckily it went in.
On his skill (four power-play goals, two shorthanded goals) on special teams:
I enjoy PP obviously, getting a little extra time on the ice out there. It’s so easy to work off of Chiasson and Nieto on the power play. They get [the puck] to you when you’re out there and I’m able to get a lot of shots and stuff like that. As far as the PK, I like blocking shots and I like reading, I think I can read the passes to the defensemen pretty good, so [that] helps me out a little bit.
On how he will handle the extra responsibility/ice time:
Like I said, again, I’m just going to have to get used to it. I don’t really have a choice. I’m just going to have to make sure my conditioning levels are good, I’ll probably see a little bit more ice time, and I just have to practice little things at center, and get used to stuff like that. I think it’ll be good for me.
Chris Connolly
General thoughts:
I don’t think it was the effort we needed clearly. You know, Kieran stood on his head I thought. You know, giving up five goals on 35 whatever shots they had. Doesn’t really tell the story. They probably had 20 Grade-A shots. At one point, it looked like they could do whatever they wanted out there. It’s disappointing to see. You can’t even blame it on the break because they had a break too. We’ll just have to take a look at the game film. I know a lot of it had to do with odd-man rushes. I don’t know about anything else. Penalties, clearly too, wasn’t very disciplined and I think as the game went on, we got more frustrated. Just things that were disappointing to see, so we have to turn that around pretty quickly.
On the difference between practices and games:
You can only practice so game-like, you know? It’s completely different when you get out there. He’d been stressing all week that he wasn’t worried about the conditioning side, he was more worried about the mental side. That I think played a huge part in today’s game. I don’t know if we were, I think we were mentally jacked up to play and ready to play. I don’t know how you couldn’t be. It’s a big out of conference game. But they came at us pretty hard and all the credit to them. They played real well and we just didn’t match their intensity.
On centers’ transitions:
I think it’s all-in-all team defense. It’s going to be a little transition for them to get adjusted to the position, but in the same breath, I think it’s our d and other wings’ job to be held accountable. It’s not just our new centers obligation to step up and fill that position. I think it’s all on the five guys in front of Kieran blocking shots and boxing people out so he didn’t have to see too many which he did. He saw way too many tonight.
On the top line:
I think it has a lot of potential. We were pretty deep up front and losing those two guys is obviously, you don’t like to see that. They’re both very talented guys. But I think we have plenty of guys that can step up and fill those roles. We have guys that are going to get more opportunity to show what they can do. I think Courtnall on the third line with those two freshmen played really well tonight, getting one of those goals and so that’s what we’re going to need out of them, and then you know, the first couple of lines, there’s going to be different chemistry with Megan and Sahir, whoever else might play center throughout the rest of the season, but we’ve got plenty of guys that can generate some good chemistry down the road coming into the playoffs so.
On finding ways through Notre Dame players/sticks:
I don’t think we did enough chipping behind them and getting after. They had a lot of possession down low and that’s what we didn’t do to them. We got caught making some diagonal passes at their blue line and turning some pucks over and that’s why they got so many odd man rushes. And we didn’t do a good job picking up guys on the backcheck, so when we hit that red line, we have to realize that those D like to stand up and the best way to play them is to chip it behind them to kind of possess the puck on the goal line and then start getting some pucks up to the point and bodies to the net. It’s real simple. It’s a simple game. We just didn’t execute it.
On the power play:
Well, I think we had some good looks and moved the puck around pretty decently at times, but in general, I don’t think we had enough guys bearing down in front. We left a couple rebounds out here and there and we just didn’t get any bodies to the net to finish those rebounds off. We’re going to need that. We need the power play to be good, so.
On how losing Trivino and Coyle affected the team:
It’s a big loss. Both those guys had contributed. Corey in his fourth year and Charlie in his second year, so we’d be lying if we said it wasn’t going to affect us, but that being said, like I said, I think we have a lot of depth and I think it’s just going to take the adjustment of guys playing some different positions and with some different players but I think chemistry will develop and we’re still in a very good situation. This is a very good team and they’re going to make a far run in the season in the playoffs and in the national tournament, so all we can do is learn from the game and try to turn it around this next week.
On if it was nice to get back on the ice:
It was. I mean I think everybody was excited. Break goes by so fast but it’s a much needed break and I think the second half of the season is the real season. You spend the first half trying to put yourself in a decent position so you don’t have to dig yourself out of a hole, and I think we’ve done that. Just get out west and see the new building and great atmosphere that they had, I think we were all really excited to get out here. We just didn’t execute the way we wanted to, but I think we’re all excited to be out here so.
On what they can improve on:
We turned a lot of pucks over. We didn’t help Kieran out. We didn’t stay out of the box, and I think those are the three main things. Kieran can’t see that when he Grade-A opportunities, we have to clear some pucks and bodies out, and then we just have to be more disciplined. We have to be smarter. I think they’re all easy correctable things. I don’t know if it was the 22-day break that had guys in a bit of a lull or what it may be, but like I said, they’re easily correctable and we’ll look at them and try to turn it around.
On faceoff troubles:
Credit to them. They got some big, strong centermen that are really good at taking faceoffs. In the same breath, we do have two new guys who are taking draws that aren’t really as used to it as much. I think that’s just something to practice and after practices, working with coaches, guys who ever have the potential of taking them need to get in there and start practicing because I think it’s a big part of the game. It establishes possession whether that being in the offensive or defensive zone. You can eat up 15-20 seconds just on faceoffs so we’re going to have to bear down on that a little bit, work with the guys who take faceoffs, but like I said, credit to them. They’ll do a real good job with it.
On this winter break compared to his three prior winter breaks:
I’m in a different situation, being a senior and being a leader on this team. I think it’s my job to make sure that everybody is mentally ready to go and trying to put things in the past. We can’t change it now. I think morale just has to be positive and we have to look at where we’re at and realize that we’re still in a very good situation. We don’t necessarily have to dig ourselves out of a hole. We had a good few last games coming up to the break. I think just keeping the spirits high and telling the guys that we’ll be okay is kind of how it’s been different for me I think.
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